Jewellery product and method

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a jewellery product comprising a plurality of filling items trapped in an open-mesh shell. The shell comprises a plurality of mesh openings through which the filling items are unable to pass, and at least one filling opening through which the filling items are able to pass. The filling opening is occluded by an occluding member to trap the filling items within the shell. The invention further provides a method of making the jewellery product.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to jewellery manufacturing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Jewellery is a very popular form of adornment. Jewellery made from precious metals and precious stones in particular takes myriad shapes and sizes. The possible combinations of precious metals and precious stones which can be formed into jewellery, and the resulting jewellery designs, are essentially unlimited.

While some types of jewellery serve a secondary function, most jewellery is intended to have purely aesthetic appeal and designed with this object. Part of the aesthetic appeal of a piece of jewellery, particularly jewellery incorporating precious stones, is in the manner in which light is refracted and reflected by the piece. Precious metals such as gold and silver can exhibit interesting and appealing reflection characteristics, however the greater aesthetic appeal and optical effect is found in precious stones, also known as gemstones, which come in a wide array of shapes and colours.

The particular reflecting and refracting properties of a gemstone are in part determined by its type and quality. However, in addition the gemstone can be cut in a faceted manner which accentuates its reflecting and refracting characteristics and even creates new ones. Precious stone cutters spend many years learning how to cleave rough stones such as diamonds and rubies in order to create facets on their surfaces angled and arranged provide appealing reflecting and refracting properties and accentuate the inherent optical characteristics of the gemstone.

The artistry of combining precious metals and gemstones is an important aspect of jewellery design. Typically one or more gemstones of particular shapes and colours are matched with settings formed from one or more precious metals, for example gold and silver, or a combination thereof, to create aesthetically interesting and intricate designs. In addition to the unique blends of colours that can be achieved using different precious metals in combination with different gemstones, the unique reflecting and refracting properties of a particular combination of one or more gemstones and a precious metal setting, shaped and matched in a particular manner, serve to provide the aesthetic appeal and uniqueness sought by jewellery consumers.

Precious metals have been used for hundreds of years as settings for gemstones such as diamonds, emeralds and rubies. The setting is designed to securely fix the gemstone in the piece; to expose as much of the gemstone as possible; and to maximize the appeal of the piece, often through the combination of a gemstone type and cut and precious metal setting which when combined take advantage of the reflecting and refracting properties of the gemstone. However, the need to set a gemstone into a precious metal setting limits the design of the setting to some degree, which must be configured in a way that it securely and permanently holds the gemstone in place, and thus necessarily obscures a part of the gemstone. Also, in such a jewellery piece with the gemstone(s) fixed in place, the reflecting and refracting properties of the piece are limited by the angles at which light is permitted to strike the piece, especially the exposed facets of the gemstones.

In this conventional type of jewellery piece, a part of the gemstone will never be visible because it is concealed within the setting. This limits both the visibility of the gemstone and the different ways that light can be reflected and refracted by the jewellery piece. Further, the labour required to set a gemstone in a precious metal setting increases the cost of a jewellery piece, particularly one having multiple gemstones.

It would accordingly be advantageous to be able to permanently secure multiple gemstones within a precious metal in a manner which contains, but does not fix in place, the gemstones. This reduces the cost of the jewellery piece, in addition to improving its reflective and refractive properties including both optical interaction between the precious metal and the gemstones and exposure of the entirety of the gemstones to ambient light.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a jewellery piece according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the jewellery piece of FIG. 1 being rendered on a data processing device.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a resin model of the jewellery manufactured from the computer rendering of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a mold cavity showing the jewellery piece being molded from the resin model of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are non-limiting examples of shells for other types and shapes of jewellery pieces according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a jewellery piece 10 comprising an encapsulating shell 20 preferably (but not necessarily) formed from precious metal, containing a plurality of decorative filling items 12 preferably having reflective and/or refractive characteristics, preferably a plurality of gemstones. The invention will be described in the context of jewellery pieces having gemstones as the filling items 12, however it will be appreciated that this is by way of example only and the principles of the invention may be implemented using other types and combinations of filling items 12.

The invention thus provides a jewellery piece comprising a plurality of filling items, an open-mesh shell for containing the filling item, the shell comprising a plurality of mesh openings through which each of the plurality of filling items is unable to pass and at least one filling opening through which the plurality of filling items is able to pass, and an occluding member for occluding the at least one filling opening, whereby the filling items are trapped within the shell by the occlusion of the at least one filling opening.

The invention further provides a method of forming a jewellery piece having a shell containing a plurality of filling items, comprising the steps of: a. casting an open-mesh shell, the mesh openings in the shell being configured to prevent each of the plurality of filling items from passing through the mesh openings; b. inserting the plurality of filling items into the shell through at least one filling opening configured to allow the filling items to pass through the at least one filling opening; and c. occluding the filling opening to prevent the filling items from passing through the filling opening.

The gemstones may be from the group of natural gemstones including diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, opals, or any other type of precious or semi-precious stone, and any combination thereof. The invention may also be implemented using artificial filling items 12, for example synthetic stones formed from materials such as cubic zirconium and others. The filling items 12 are preferably transparent or translucent, thus offering both reflecting and refracting optical characteristics.

In some embodiments the gemstones 12 are loosely encapsulated by the shell 20, so that their relative positions shift as the jewellery piece 10 moves about and the gemstones 12 reorganize themselves within the encapsulating shell 20. In these embodiments the gemstones 12 do not necessarily need to be of high quality or cut to precise standards (such as for example so-called “diamond chips”) in order to provide the desired reflective/refractive effect. This both avoids the cost of setting the gemstones 12 in a traditional static setting and reduces the cost of the gemstones 12 themselves. Because of the considerably reduced cost, the invention can be implemented with precious stones whose overall reflecting and refracting qualities are unique and varied, yet still remain within the budget of cost-conscious consumers. Further, as a jewellery piece according to the invention is moved about, the motion of the gemstones 12 within the shell 20 changes the manner in which light reflects and refracts off of the gemstones 12 and thus changes the overall aesthetic appearance of the piece. Accordingly, while the invention is not limited to any particular type of precious or semi-precious stone, artificial gemstone or other item 12, it is most advantageously implemented using filling items 12 comprising precious and semi-precious stones or a combination thereof.

The gemstones 12 are encapsulated in the substantially open-mesh shell 20. The shell 20 may be configured with any overall shape. For example, without limitation, typical shapes might include a 3-D heart as shown in FIG. 1, a sphere as shown in FIG. 5B, an egg (not shown), or more complicated shapes such as those shown in FIGS. 5A and 5D. Further, the open-mesh shell 20 may be combined with solid members 23, for example as in the ring of FIG. 5C and the pendant of FIG. 5D.

The mesh openings 22 may also (or alternatively) be configured with any overall shape, for example the openings in the mesh openings may be, without limitation, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped, circular, ovate or more complicated shapes.

The shell 12 may be formed by any suitable process, including die casting. In one preferred embodiment the shell 12 is molded by the process of “loss wax casting,” also known as “investment casting,” which process is well known to those skilled in the art. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention a wax or resin mold 30 of the encapsulating shell 20, for example as shown in FIG. 3, is formed. The mold 30 may for example be formed from a substantially rigid or semi-rigid plastic resin, such as Envisiontec PIC100G and EC500 (Trademark). The mold positive 30 is embedded in a investment medium 32 (for example Ransom and Randolph Plasticast (Trademark) investment medium) contained in a form or casting cavity 34, and the investment medium is heated to melt and evaporate the wax or resin mold 30, creating a negative impression of the mold 30. Molten metal is then forced into the negative impression, for example by centrifugal force or by creating a vacuum in the casting cavity 34, as shown in FIG. 4, forming the metal into the shape of the impression. Once the metal has cooled the investment medium is cleared away to leave a precise replica of the mold 30 in metal.

In the preferred embodiment a wax or resin mold 30 may be created using a computer-based modelling system, for example (without limitation) a rapid prototype manufacturing system such as PERFACTORY™ sold by EnvisionTec, which utilizes direct light projection technology to produce finely-detailed three dimensional molds and models using ultraviolet light. Software for the modelling system allows the user to render the design of the encapsulating shell 20 on a standard personal computer (PC) workstation. Data representing the digitally-rendered shell 21, for example shown in FIG. 2 for the shell 20 of FIG. 1, is parsed into bitmap layers representing ‘slices’ of the rendered shell 21. The digital layers are transmitted in sequence to an ultraviolet forming machine (essentially a printer) which projects each bitmapped slice onto the mold in sequence and thus progressively generates the wax or plastic resin mold 30 of the rendered shell 21. Depending upon its composition the mold 30 may need to be cured in a UV light chamber.

The molds 30 can alternatively be made by a laser synthesizing system, or by deposition (for example using a Solidscape (trademark) prototyping system or other 3D printer system) which uses a similar process of bitmap slicing, but instead of synthesizing the wax or resin mold 30 by means of ultraviolet light projection a combination of jets deposit wax or resin layers, and after each layer a cutter head slides over to remove excess wax as well as to smooth the surface on which the next layer will be deposited.

There are many such systems available for creating a suitable mold 30. The invention is not limited to any particular means, technique or system for creating the mold 30, or any particular composition of the mold 30 suitable for casting.

The shell 20 is designed such that the mesh openings 22 in the mesh pattern, defined within the shell frame 24, are configured to prevent the gemstones 12 from passing through the mesh openings 22. For example, the mesh openings 22 may be smaller than the size of the intended gemstones 12, thus trapping the gemstones 12 within the shell 20, or otherwise shaped so as to trap the gemstones within the shell. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 there are two patterns of mesh openings 22: heart-shaped openings 22 a and connecting openings 22 b between the heart-shaped openings 22 a. In both cases the openings 22 are sized and shaped to prevent the gemstones 12 from escaping the encapsulating shell 20.

In the preferred embodiment the shell 20 is provided with at least one filling opening 26 (best seen in FIG. 2) which is large enough to allow for the gemstones 12 to be inserted into the shell 20 once the shell 20 has been cast and cooled. To fill the shell 20, a plurality of gemstones 12 are inserted into the filling opening 26. The shell 20 may be completely filled or partially filled, as desired.

The filling opening 26 may then be occluded by an occluding member, for example a decorative plug 28, as shown in FIG. 1, which may optionally provide a connector 29 a for attachment to a chain 29, bracelet, anklet etc. as desired, as shown in FIG. 1. In an alternate embodiment, the at least one filling opening 26 may be occluded by a functional object, for example the shell 20 may be provided with two filling openings 26 positioned in the shell 20 such that a chain 29 passing through the filling openings 26 will prevent gemstones 12 from escaping through the filling openings 26 while the chain 29 is in place. The chain 29 itself can be used to form a necklace, bracelet, anklet etc. as desired. In a further alternative embodiment (not shown) the shell frame 24 surrounding the filling opening 26 may be bent or distorted after filling the shell 20, the distorted portion of the shell frame 24 thus forming an occluding member.

A jewellery piece according to the invention thus provides a virtually unlimited variety of combinations of filling items 12 and shell patterns, to produce aesthetically appealing pieces with interesting and varied optical properties. Even when the shell 20 is completely filled the gemstones 12 will tend to move about and reposition within the shell 20, and because of the complex geometric shape of many gemstones 12 the refracting and reflecting properties of the overall jewellery piece will change as the gemstones 12 move. Moreover, the shell 20 itself, being in the preferred embodiment formed from precious metal and potentially having complex and intricate mesh openings 22, provides its own particular reflecting properties, which combine with the reflecting and refracting properties of the contained gemstones 12. The jewellery pieces 10 may be, if desired, customized for a user. The sizes, shapes and styles of the encapsulating shell 20 and combinations of gemstones or other filling items 12 contained within the shell 20 are limitless and can be changed if desired by the wearer.

Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A jewellery piece comprising: a plurality of filling items, an open-mesh shell for containing the filling item, the shell comprising a plurality of mesh openings through which each of the plurality of filling items is unable to pass and at least one filling opening through which the plurality of filling items are able to pass, and an occluding member for occluding the at least one filling opening, whereby the filling item is trapped within the shell by the occlusion of the at least one filling opening.
 2. The jewellery piece of claim 1 wherein the filling items comprise at least one transparent or translucent item.
 3. The jewellery piece of claim 2 wherein the filling items comprise at least one gemstone.
 4. The jewellery piece of claim 3 wherein the filling items comprise a plurality of gemstones.
 5. The jewellery piece of claim 1 wherein the shell is formed from precious metal.
 6. The jewellery piece of claim 5 wherein the shell is cast.
 7. The jewellery piece of claim 6 wherein the shell is formed by loss wax casting.
 8. The jewellery piece of claim 1 wherein the at least one filling opening is occluded by an object.
 9. The jewellery piece of claim 8 wherein the object comprises a plug.
 10. The jewellery piece of claim 8 wherein the shell comprises a plurality of filling openings and the object comprises a chain extending through the filling openings.
 11. A method of forming a jewellery piece having a shell containing a plurality of filling items, comprising the steps of: a. casting an open-mesh shell, mesh openings in the shell being configured to prevent each of the plurality of filling items from passing through the mesh openings; b. inserting the filling items into the shell through at least one filling opening configured to allow the filling items to pass through the at least one filling opening; and c. occluding the filling opening to prevent the filling items from passing through the filling opening.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the filling items comprise at least one transparent or translucent item.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the filling items comprise at least one gemstone.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the filling items comprise a plurality of gemstones.
 15. The method of claim 11 wherein the shell is formed from precious metal.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the shell is cast.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the shell is formed by loss wax casting.
 18. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one filling opening is occluded by an object.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the object comprises a plug.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the shell comprises a plurality of filling openings and step c. comprises the step of threading a chain through the filling openings. 